The Death of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Jobs
Apparently the shareholders and powers that be have learned NOTHING from Weirton Steel. It's is now official Wheeling-Pittsburgh stockholders and Esmark board of Directors approved a Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel and Esmark merger. Right now I am sure all the employees at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel are just thrilled with the deal thinking job security and profits and more business and all sorts of other wild delusions. Before everybody gets together and throws a party, lets take a step back and look at Weirton Steel, what is going on there now? How many employees lost their job or are "laid off permanently"? What is shutting down? Oh yeah the HOT MILL.
People think for Christ sake, this merger is the death knoll ringing for so many employees. I give it 6 – 9 months and watch and see – cut back will be flying, the unemployment line will grow and those that get axed will be bitching and whining the whole way to the unemployment line on how they got screwed. We have seen it time and time again and this will be no exception. More high paying jobs are going to get slashed in the Ohio Valley due to this merger.
I am sure Esmark will offer buy outs and incentives and blah blah blah, but it boils down to this... how long will buyouts and incentives last? Not LONG that's for sure and then what? How long will it be before Esmark screws the pension and Health Care benefits for the retirees? How long will it be before Wheeling Pitt gets shut down or at least portions of it? How long before Wheeling Pitt goes on the Market for sale? Its going to be just another downward economic spiral for the Ohio Valley and the steel industry here. You know the steel industry is about gone, the coal mining industry in the eastern panhandle is about shot and that is going to leave what? Well retail will certainly not survive, at least not the smaller mom and pop stores, small businesses that rely on the employees of the steel mills will certainly feel the crunch and probably close up shop. That leaves what? Hmm tourism and gambling – sure great industries but how does that help the ones that are getting the axe? It does not. What will that do to the cities that rely on the taxes collected form Wheeling Pitt and the employees who have homes and taxable assets? It's a lot of questions that just keep on trickling down and it just does not hurt the employees of Wheeling Pitt, it hurts everybody. History repeats itself once again in the Ohio Valley.
The writing is on the wall.It has only taken less than a month for the job cuts to take place and people to lose their jobs and to think the union is behind this esmark deal.I wonder how long it will take for someones relative to have their job in jeporady before the union contract changes and they let people move from one local to a different local and take other peoples jobs based on corporate senority and not the consent decree that has been in effect for many years.
I seen this growing up in Akron in the early 80's with the rubber industry, however unlike Akron this area does not have a massive university or hospital system to buy up everything thats left behind. This area MUST get another economy in here and not just small biz or companys that are not willing to work you more than 30 hours a week......
Its time somebody, chamber of commerce..anyone to step up to the plate before its to late.
Here comes the pay cuts compliments of local 1190. The 20% incentive is gone starting Feb1,2008 and the jobs will follow soon.
The Ohio Valley just needs to give up on the Steel Industry here. We have seen this time and time again and each time we keep thinking "hmm its just a slump, it will get better". I hate to see this happen and I hate to see all those hard working peoepl get screwed, but the Valley just isn't what it used to be and it certainly is NEVER going to be what it use to be. Steel is gone and Gambling and toursism and crime and all that other crap are here to stay it looks like.
CAN ANYONE GET INFORMATION ON THE LATEST WITH THE WHEELING PITT EMPLOYEES. THEY WERE OFFERED A PENSION BUYOUT, BUT HAVE TAKEN OVER 3 MTHS IN GETTING THE MONEY TO THE MEN AND WOMEN. NO PHONE CALLS ARE BEING ANSWERED AND ITS LIKE YOU ARE ASKING SOMEONE FOR THEIR FIRST BORN WHEN YOU TRY TO GET ANSWERS.
Great post, thanks for the information, I had great luck finding a New Career at http://www.careermatches.org/index.php?id=New
